The White House has stated that it will not change the US president's flight schedule to Kenya this weekend, after the timeline for his plane's landing and takeoff from Nairobi was leaked.

President Obama on Air Force One. Photo: Reuters

According to Fox News, a Kenya Airways official sent a notification on July 21 regarding the expected arrival time of the presidential plane carrying US President Barack Obama in Nairobi this weekend. The email also informed aviation officials at Kenya's two major airports about the date and time of airport closures.

The White House never releases the 40-50 minute timeframe for Air Force One's takeoff or landing for security reasons.

Susan Rice, the White House national security adviser, said yesterday that the Secret Service team responsible for protecting the president was aware of the leak. "But I don't think it's disrupting our plans," she said.

A representative from Kenya Airways denied leaking sensitive information, stating that standard procedure requires the airline to notify passengers of Kenyan airspace closures, similar to when Obama's plane took off and landed.

Obama's visit to Kenya raised security concerns, particularly for Secret Service agents. The East African nation has been the target of a series of attacks in recent years by al Shabaab, a group linked to al Qaeda and based in neighboring Somalia.

In 2002, Kenyan officials reported that al-Qaeda militants fired shoulder-fired missiles at a Boeing 757 as it took off from Moi International Airport. The plane was not hit by the missiles.

During his trip to Africa, Obama will also visit Ethiopia. He will return to the United States on July 28th.

(According to Reuters/VN Express)